Ambushed Love

'It had definitely been a disaster, those two years and three months of involvement with her. The exact nature of the disaster however – that was a matter of some considerable confusion. I felt as though I’d spent those couple years tied to a cactus tree. And I was still pulling out the barbed spines.'

 It's not easy to spot a narcissist. At the beginning of a relationship, they are charming and eager romantic partners, showering the new object of their affections with devoted attention and  wearing what seems like a wide-open heart.

Inside that heart however, is a fragile self-image, a false sense of worth that needs to be reflected in their loved one. The narcissist has a deep-seated requirement to see themselves as perfect, and so their chosen partner must be perfect too.

Of course, there is no such thing as perfection - especially when a fall from grace is as simple as expressing a differing opinion. When this happens, what once looked like love becomes destructive, unkind, and often ultimately brutal.

Ambushed Love is one woman's story of surviving, and coming to understand, the relationship she found herself in with just such a person.